Author: Lilac

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The Jewish Holiday of Tu B’Shevat – The New Year for Trees

Today is “Tu Be Shvat” The New Year for Tree in the Jewish Calendar by Ari Hahn

Today is a holiday that is celebrated by Jewish people around the world and especially in Israel. The holiday is The New Year for Trees, called Tu B’ Shevat.

The Dan Nature Preserve in December by Dara

Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera by Dara

The name Tu B’ Shevat tells people that this New Year of the Trees is celebrated on the 15th (Tu) day of the Hebrew month called Shevat. It comes on different dates in the Western calendar but always around Jan. or Feb. when spring starts in Israel. The holiday is very old, the oldest description of the celebration was said to be written in the 16th century.

Pomegranite Punica granatum by Dara

Some people plant trees on this day.

Cactus with prickly pear fruit or sabra fruit Opuntia ficus-Indica by Dara

Another custom is to eat a new fruit on this day: a fruit which one has not eaten that entire season. Some people eat fruits from the Seven Species of plants described in the Bible as being abundant in the land of Israel. The Seven Species are: wheat, barley, grapes (vines), figs, pomegranates, olives and dates (honey) (Deut. 8:8) Because Tu in Hebrew means 15, some people say one should eat 15 fruits that day. Other fruits some have added to the list of fruits to be eaten include citrons, apples, pears, carobs, almonds and walnuts.

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2011: International Year of Forests

forest by cheongwah2002

2011 has been named the International Year of Forests by the United Nations.  See here.

Our forests are crucial in providing planet Earth with health, wealth, food, fuel and vital ecosystem services. Forests help provide breathable air, drinkable water, fertile soils, a stable climate and adds beauty to the earth.   See here.  Various activities are planned around the globe to promote the importance of forests.

The United States Forest Service in partnership with other US agencies is planning special events throughout the year. Mass plantings of trees are planned in countries like Ethiopia, Georgia, Jamaica, Lebanon and Poland. Competitions ranging from photo, art, slogan, and essay writing are also being promoted in countries such as Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Jamaica, Lebanon, Poland and the Republic of Korea.

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Great Gardening Books

Are you thinking of giving a gardening book as a gift this season?  Or are you asking Santa for a gardening book for yourself? There are some excellent books for people of all ages and all levels of gardening experience. Here is a list of some of the publishing houses that have published  gardening books that TheGardenLady recommends.  Check around for the best prices after you have chosen the books you want. The prices listed on their site might not be the cheapest price on the market.

DK Publishing House is one of my favorite publishers of books in general and has an incredibly good selection of books on plants and gardening.  I think that any gardener might want the “ RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants” or the American version “AHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants” (AHS stands for American Horticultural Society whereas  RHS stands for the Royal Horticultural Society).

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Gardening Tools

Old garden rake used as a tool rack by ozhaggishead

People who enjoy gardening might enjoy receiving a gift of good quality gardening tools. Or you might want to treat yourself to some quality tools like pruning shears or a folding saw. Where does one shop to be assured of a quality product that won’t fall apart after a few years of use?

on the potting bench by Daisy’s Little Cottage

Well, many years ago a horticulturist told me about Florian gardening products.  So that is what TheGardenLady bought. Florian manufactures their products in the US. This is an American company that manufactures in the states. I like to buy Made in America products whenever I can. Florian gives a life-time guarantee for their products. This is also something greatly appreciated. And every year Florian has a booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show where they sharpen your tools free of charge. TheGardenLady and friends take our shears to the show every year where they are sharpened- no questions asked. I have their ratchet type hand pruner that is easy to use and makes a nice cut. TheGardenLady has no vested interest in telling you this. I just like to rave about a good product.

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Pruning Hydrangeas


Hydrangea by Eric M Martin

TheGardenLady received this question from Mary.

Last month I planted a hydrangea plant and it has 8 blossoms on it. Can I cut the blossoms off now, and will it affect the growth next year? Or should I leave it alone?

The choice of cutting the blossoms or leaving them on your hydrangea plant is up to you. Either way is fine for the plant. If you decide that you want to cut the blossoms off now, it is ” safest to remove them with very short stems so you won’t disturb any developing bloom buds for next year. As long as you cut above the first set of large leaves, the blooms will be fine. ” Read this good website for pruning hydrangeas. Deadheading, which is what you do when you remove blossoms, is a type of pruning.

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Sending Photos to TheGardenLady to Identify Plants

Photographer / 写真家 by sakichin

TheGardenLady received this question from Amanda.

I love houseplants and have several.  I have a few that I just can’t seem to find the names of.  Could I email you pics?

TheGardenLady would love to have photos of your plants. Be sure they are clear. More than one photo is preferable: Perhaps a close up of the leaves, a photo of a flower if the plants have flowers, and a photo of the entire plant- as close up as you can get.

Also, if any of TheGardenLady readers can identify the plants, please don’t hesitate to write to TheGardenLady telling us what it is.

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A Rock Garden Question

Rock Garden in Fall by Calendar Garden

TheGardenLady received this question from Malcolm.

We have a rockery in part of our garden.  We sit a lot opposite to it.  In Spring it’s lovely, but the rest of the summer it’s dull.  I want to start again with the rockery.  I will remove all the rocks, dig over the ground adding multi-compost.  Then I want to replace rocks and plant in-between, but with plants that flower throughout summer and will not grow too big. The area has morning sun.  It’s well drained, shaded by noon in May, and by 3pm July.

How lovely to have a rockery or rock garden in your yard. It is a lot of work but the results can be stunning.

Have you ever thought of under-planting early blooming bulbs for spring flowering and then over-planting the bulbs with later blooming  bulbs for a longer show of flowers? See here.  Or you can over-plant the bulbs with summer perennials plants that bloom later on.  When under-planting, be careful of the type of bulb you choose.

Blooming rockery by Owl lover

Some daffodils become very bushy when in the ground for a few years and the leaves will take up a lot of space before they die back. Tulip foliage does not seem to take up as much space after the flowers die. The perennials should not be planted directly over the bulbs so that the root mass of the perennials do not block the bulbs sending through their flowers; plant the perennials slightly to the side. The foliage of the perennials will hide the greenery of the bulbs after the bulb flowers die. (You know that you never cut the foliage of bulb plants after the flowers die.) Some of the species of daffodils or miniature daffodils would be lovely in a rockery.  See here.  This GardenLady loves species tulips.  If the squirrels on my property didn’t love to eat them, I would fill my property with species tulips. There are a number of bulbs that might meet your needs for blooming at different seasons. See here.

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Can You Grow Pink Lady Apple Trees In South Dakota?

Pink Lady Apples on Treeby banderson0303

TheGardenLady received this question from Betty.

I was just wondering if you could grow pink lady apple trees in South Dakota. We love them apples and the store sells out as fast as they come in..

The Pink Lady apple that originates in Western Australia is a hot climate apple that grows in Temperature Zones 6 through 9. I don’t know if it is warm enough in South Dakota to grow Pink Lady apple trees. Please check your location for your temperature zone and if you are in zone 6 you can try; but if you are in a colder zone there are lots of apple trees you can grow. A list of apples for South Dakota can be found here or for northern states in general can be found here.  Also check out this site for temperature zones.

Those who live in areas warm enough to grow the Pink Lady apple tree can find them for sale on eBay or at some orchards like Willis Orchard or or Clifton Nursery.

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How To Decide On Whether to Grow these Kmart Plants Outdoors

Dracaena marginata blooming by our Bamboo Gate by jungle mama

TheGardenLady received this question from Luella.

I bought some plants from Kmart a few weeks ago and I was wondering if I could plant them outside. I have a mother-in-law’s tongue, a drac marg (whatever that is), and what I believe is a rubber tree.

You did not tell me where you live for TheGardenLady to know if you can grow them outdoors. The plants that you bought do not tolerate any frost or snow or they will die. Since you bought them at Kmart, I imagine you live in an area that cannot grow them outdoors. All three plants that you bought are considered ornamental indoor plants in most of the continental United States.

Dracaena marginata comes from Madigascar. If you live in the plant hardiness zones 9 and 10 you could grow it outdoors.

The rubber tree, also known as a Ficus elastica, will grow outdoors in  hardiness zones 10 or 11. Hawaii is in these zones. In a pot, the Ficus remains manageable but these plants can become really huge trees that can grow up to 50 feet tall.  So even if you lived in a zone where the Rubber Tree would live outdoors, I doubt that you would have enough land to grow such a large tree. But don’t worry about its getting too big in your house. When grown in a pot the Rubber tree should only grow about 10 feet tall.

If you live in California and some other hot areas of the US, you might be able to grow the Mother-In-Law’s Tongue plant, Sansevieria, outdoors. You need to live in Plant Hardiness Zone 8 or higher.

Check the Hardiness Zone you live in to see which plants you can grow outdoors.

Even if you can’t plant these three plants outdoors permanently,  know that during the hot summer months you can take all three plants outdoors in their pots.  They love hot weather.  But you must bring them in before the first frost or they will die.

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Don’t Expect Delicious Avocados If They Have Been Grown From Seed

Avocados growing from seed by joeesabol

Jonathan from California has an avocado tree growing nicely in a pot on his deck.  He asked if this avocado tree that he has raised for many years from the pit of a delicious avocado he used in a salad will ever bear fruit if he were to plant it in a garden.

Sadly, Jon, the answer is probably not and if it does produce fruit, you might not want to eat it. “Avocados grown from seed rarely produce fruit before 8 – 10 years, and such fruit may be of poor quality. Commercial avocado orchards are planted with budded or grafted trees of named varieties of known fruit quality.”  See here.

So enjoy your avocado tree as a house plant.  If you do get a garden large enough to grow an avocado tree, buy a grafted one that is guaranteed to produce delicious avocados. But you have to have a fairly large garden because avocado trees can grow quite large and have large strong roots.  See here.